Title: Nothing Important 11: The Truth I
Author: Vickie Moseley
Summary: First part of the series conclusion.
Category: Mytharc, MSR
Rating: E-13 for language
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended.
Archive: yes
Author's notes: Lisa, again, I couldn't do this
without you. Xfilesx, I live for your emails. To
everyone who has encouraged me to continue this
story, THANK YOU! I started it as an experiment
to see how it would go and I'm very happy to say it
went swimmingly, for me, at least. If you can't
please yourself, who can you please?
Other instalments will be in place on my website
vickiemoseley.freeservers.com
Nothing Important 11: The Truth I
49th Street
New York, New York
The unofficial leader of the group, an older man
with a face lined by time and tanned by the heat of
the strong Tunisian sun, rapped his cane on the floor
to get the attention of those gathered.
"Please, please, let us begin. We have much to
discuss and I don't wish to stay in this miserably
humid city one minute more than necessary,"
Strughold said in his oddly stilted Germanic accent.
As the men settled into overstuffed leather
armchairs with cigars and brandy, he nodded in
approval.
"Thank you. I know that some of you came a long
way and we intend to give you all the information
you've been seeking. Alex, if you please."
From the shadows Alex Krycek stepped forward.
With a flick of a remote, the blinds on the windows
darkened and the panels in the wall slid open to
reveal a 50-inch panel television. The screen
blinked to life, showing an operating theatre with a
body on a gurney. The camera closed in on the
body. There are leads around the hairline and a
respirator tube in the patient's mouth. The monitor
to the left of the gurney showed a straight green
line.
"This, gentleman, is patient K, the man formerly
known as Knowle Rohrer. For the benefit of those
of you without a medical degree, Mr. Rohrer's brain
waves are completely flat."
"This is our savior? This is the 'hope of the human
race'?" one of the gentlemen asked in derision.
"This is our last attempt at creating a supersoldier,
yes," Strughold responded, his voice terse but even.
"Mr. Rohrer wasn't a complete failure," Krycek
interrupted the disgruntled murmuring. "He was
well enough to operate for over a six month period.
During that time, he was successful in recruiting
John Doggett to our cause."
"But this man Rohrer was supposed to save us from
the colonists. Obviously, like the elimination of
Fox Mulder, or Cassandra Spender before him, this
is another failure!" There was loudly muttered
agreement with this statement.
Krycek flicked the remote again and another picture
filled the screen. It was a picture of William
Mulder, taken through a telephoto lens. William
was lying in his bassinet in Scully's Georgetown
apartment. "This, gentlemen, is the true saviour of
the planet."
"A baby?"
"A baby born with a natural immunity to the alien
virus. An immunity he received from both of his
parents," Krycek said firmly, showing standard FBI
photos of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.
"You mean -- Fox Mulder -- "
"Is immune to the alien virus," Krycek said,
lecturing to his audience. "Gentlemen, this is not
rocket science. When Fox Mulder was exposed to
the virus, not once, but twice, it affected his very
DNA. That immunity has only increased due to his
recent exposure to the virus while in the company
of the alien colonists. When we used Dana Scully
in experiments of our own choosing, she too
became immune to the virus. When the two
immune individuals mated, for lack of a better
word, and conceived a life, that child was born with
a natural immunity that we can hope will only
become stronger as he grows."
"We have to have that child!" one voice shouted
from the corner of the room.
"For what purpose? He's only two months old,"
came another voice in the opposite direction.
"He could be the salvation. His blood could be the
serum we've been searching for to perfect the
vaccine!" came yet another voice.
"Gentleman, gentleman, please," Strughold said,
fighting for control of the assembly. "There are
already plans in the works. Even as we speak we
have an operative staging a 'retrieval mission'. We
just have to be patient."
As Strughold got and held their attention, Krycek
moved toward the door. His actions caught the old
man's eye. "Alex? Going somewhere?" he asked.
"Just to check on the food you requested. It should
have arrived by now. I'll see what's holding it up,"
Krycek replied with a wane smile. He was waved
away.
Outside the room, he turned to the wait staff
standing in the hall. "They're ready," he said. As
he walked past the line of waiters, they turned to
look at him. Each man had his eyes, nose and
mouth sewn together.
As Krycek cleared the stairs at the ground level, he
could still hear the last of the screams echoing off
the concrete firewalls and the faint scent of burning
flesh was just starting to waft down the steps.
TransAmerica Flight 1013
10:45 am
John Doggett nodded his thanks to the flight
attendant as he was handed his Diet Pepsi and
miniscule bag of pretzels. He sipped his drink and
leaned back in the seat. It had been close, but he
managed to get on this flight. If he'd been ten
minutes later, he wouldn't have been able to leave
Dulles until after lunch and that would have
included a three-hour layover in Dallas.
He couldn't believe his luck when he got the
message on his cell phone. Oregon Cave Junction,
Oregon, almost as far as you could get from
Washington DC and still be in the continental
United States. Scully was on her way, but equally
important, so was her son.
The baby was already two months old. Hard to
imagine, but it happened. Babies grew to be men.
And what a man William Doggett would grow to
be. John smiled at that thought. After he and Dana
were married, he would adopt William. Hell, with a
little imagination, he could make himself believe
that William was their child. Mulder who? If it all
went as planned, Mulder would be dead -- and this
time he'd stay buried. God, how John dearly wished
he'd never taken the assignment to find the bastard
in the first place, but if he hadn't he wouldn't have
met Dana.
He chuckled when he thought about the first time
they'd met. He'd heard all the rumors. The X files
was jokingly referred to as the 'sex files' by most of
Quantico. But he'd also heard that Mulder had a
roaming eye. More than one support staff was
willing to give in depth, three-dimensional
descriptions of the missing agent. Still, the reaction
Dana had given when John had suggested that
Mulder might have been stepping out -- whoa, boy!
She was a spitfire, that one! Just made him love her
all the more.
He hadn't fallen off the turnip truck, he knew from
the minute he got the assignment that he wasn't
supposed to 'find' Fox Mulder. It was all a ruse, just
a way to keep Dana out of the way. John didn't
know and he didn't much care what had happened to
the Bureau's pet 'nutcase', but he couldn't let on to
Dana. He had to appear sympathetic, seem to be
working hard to find Mulder.
When his buddy Knowle approached him with
information on the real reason Mulder was out of
the picture, it all seemed too good to be true.
Mulder was a liability. Not just a political
embarrassment to the Bureau, Mulder'd actually
infiltrated national security installations with the
intent to expose state secrets. Fox Mulder was a
traitor and had to be put down. John Doggett had
never wavered when he thought his country needed
him. He signed on the dotted line.
When Mulder turned up dead, it was everything
John could do to keep an even expression, to keep
from dancing a jig right then and there. But one
look at Dana, at the devastation she felt was enough
to sober him up. Besides, it was the perfect
opportunity. He was right there, a handy shoulder
for her to cry on. He was careful, giving her as
much space as she seemed to need after the funeral.
He was just about ready to make his move when
Skinner called him that dark and fateful night.
Walter Sergei Skinner, that royal screw up. Who
would have thought that a guy getting fished out of
the water and being alive would cause Skinner to
connect the dots that resulted in digging Mulder out
of the ground? John figured Skinner for a military
type and those people usually don't go in for that
kind of 'creative speculation'. So when he found
himself standing on the edge of newly opened
grave, it was like the whole world was going topsy-
turvy.
Fast forward to the master plan that Alvin Kersh
devised. Mulder was going to be 'let in' on a threat
to his life. He was a coward, everyone said so. He
was only after his quest. The scenario called for
him to take a powder, run out on Dana. That would
leave the door open for John to step in, take care of
the little mother and the baby whose father had
abandoned him on a whim.
No one expected Dana to run off with the bastard.
John closed his eyes and sighed. Mulder
brainwashed her. It was that simple. She was in an
abusive relationship with him and he had her
believing him hook, line and sinker. John had seen
it before, but it was never easy. She had so much
going for her without that loser.
John would make her understand what it was like to
be loved and cared for by a real man, a man who
wouldn't put her in dangerous situations. Like the
time she ran off to Utah and John had to dig that --
slug thing -- out of her back. It was everything in
him not to haul off and teach her exactly what a
dumb thing that was! But John had held back,
knew not to go too far. Even so, he felt totally
justified in treating her like a child when they'd
returned to the office. Dana needed a firm hand,
that much was obvious. A firm loving hand would
help her see the error of her ways.
As he drifted off to sleep, lulled by the planes
engines, John dreamed of the day Dana Scully
would come to him and say 'I was so wrong about
you'. It was just a matter of time.
Oregon Cave Junction, OR
9 pm
The sun had set but it was still faintly light outside
as Mulder pulled the car into the narrow gravel
drive leading to the cabin peeking out between the
trees. Scully had relinquished the wheel after
letting him sleep for about 6 hours. Now, both were
too hyper to sleep. Scully kept watching out the
back window, as if expecting something or someone
to come up behind them.
"Relax," he told her, although he was feeling
anything but relaxed. "We're almost there."
Scully chewed on her lip. "I know. I'm . . . I'm just
afraid we'll get there and find they're gone. Or that
this is the wrong place, or something happened and
they couldn't make it -- "
He reached over to grasp her hand, which was
fidgeting on her lap. "Scully. I know. And I
promise, we'll have him back with us before this
night is over."
"How can you promise that, Mulder?" she asked
fearfully, finally meeting his eyes.
"I just know," he said simply. That was what she
needed to hear, apparently, because she forced a
smile and squeezed his hand.
They turned a corner and there it was, a functional
one-story cabin tucked into a stand of tall pines.
"It's pretty," Scully offered. Just as they pulled to a
stop the cabin door opened and Maggie Scully
walked out on the porch, holding William on her
shoulder.
Mulder didn't even bother to take the keys from the
ignition. Both of them were out of the car and
running to their son before they realized it. Maggie
laughed and handed the baby over to her daughter.
Scully took William and snuggled him to the crook
of her neck.
"Oh Baby Boy, I'm so glad to see you!" she
exclaimed, tears of joy running down her face. She
turned to Mulder and let him take the baby, who
seemed oblivious to all the emotional upheaval. He
smiled at his father and looked over to his mother,
gracing her with another such smile.
"He smiled," Mulder commented, looking at Scully
with amazement. "You can't tell me that was gas,
Scully. He smiled at us."
Scully took a moment to wipe the tears from her
cheeks. "You're right, Mulder. That was really a
smile. You smiled for Mommy and Daddy, didn't
you, Pretty Boy?"
"Hey, can another mom get a hug here?" Maggie
asked with a raised eyebrow, but a twinkle in her
eyes.
"OH, Mom!" Scully laughed and hugged her mother
to her. Mulder shifted the baby so he could get a
hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Mom, I'm so sorry. We left in such a hurry and I
didn't feel safe calling you -- "
"Sweetheart, you did what you had to do," Maggie
said firmly. "And I've made so many new friends,"
she added with a hint of sarcasm.
"The gunmen," Mulder said with a sigh. "Do I need
to kill anyone when I see them again?"
Maggie chuckled. "No, Fox. They were perfect
gentlemen in all our dealings. And they've been
such a help to me. I think you need to thank them,
not harm them."
"I will be happy to do that. And I want to thank the
person who got you out of San Diego and brought
you here. Where is he?"
"Yeah, Mom. I want to thank him, too," Scully
added.
"He's just inside. He wanted to give us a minute to
get reacquainted. He's a lovely young man, Dana.
And very handsome," Maggie said with a smirk.
"Mom," Scully said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, I can look, can't I? I'm old, Dana. Not
dead."
"Mother, please, not in front of -- me," Scully
pleaded.
"Oh, I'm just teasing. Come in. You can see for
yourself." She led them into the cabin and found no
one in the living room. "Alex? Are you in the
kitchen?"
Mulder was so interested in William's every
expression that he hadn't really been paying
attention. So when he looked up and saw who was
coming in through the kitchen doorway, he startled
and handed the baby to Maggie, shoving them
behind him. "Scully," he said, his voice full of
warning.
"Mulder, Scully. Good to see you both again," Alex
said casually and proceeded to sit down in an arm
chair facing the sofa. "Please, make yourselves at
home. Maggie, I put one of the frozen pizzas in the
oven for everyone. I'm sure they're hungry after the
long drive."
"Krycek, you rat bastard! What the hell are you
doing here?" Mulder demanded. He pulled his
weapon, as did Scully and both were pointed
directly at the other man's forehead.
Alex held up his hands to show he was unarmed.
"Would you two please just cut the dramatics? Sit
down, have some pizza. I can explain everything."
"Mom, get William in the car. We'll be right out,"
Scully ordered.
"Dana! Fox! What are you doing? Alex is a friend
of your friends," Maggie objected.
"Mom, this man killed Melissa," Scully ground out,
her expression hardened and never leaving Krycek.
"No, I didn't," Krycek corrected, shaking his head.
"There are things you don't know -- "
"Maggie, do as Dana says, OK?" Mulder
intervened. "We'll deal with this. It's not safe to be
here right now. Please, just go to the car."
Maggie looked over at Alex, confusion plain on her
face.
"Go ahead, Maggie. Let me talk to them alone. I'll
listen for the timer on the oven."
Maggie clutched William close to her and left the
cabin.
"OK, Krycek, you have just as long as that oven
timer to explain what the hell you're trying to pull
or we start target practice," Mulder sneered.
Krycek rolled his eyes. "Fine. First of all, you
should know something about me," he said, and
suddenly his face morphed and changed into that of
Jeremiah Smith.
"What the hell," Mulder whispered.
"Alex Krycek, at least as you know him, died in a
silo in North Dakota. You might remember -- you
left him there."
"We didn't leave him. We were arrested," Scully
said, breathless with disbelief.
"Well, whatever, by the time we got there, he'd been
infected with the virus and there was nothing we
could do."
"But I thought you could -- " Mulder waved his
free hand in the air. "You know -- heal people."
"We can. But there are some things even we can't
fix. However, finding him there gave us an
opportunity. We realized that Alex Krycek was
deeply involved with the men working with our
enemies."
"So you took his appearance," Scully said, filling in
the blank.
"Exactly."
"So you've been working on the inside -- "
"For several years now," Alex/Jeremiah replied.
"Are you the same group who killed all those
people on Ruskin Dam and at El Rico Air Base?"
Scully asked.
The alien nodded mournfully. "Although I am not
one of that legion, I am of that race. Yes, we had to
eliminate some collaborators."
Scully glared at him. "The people on that dam
weren't collaborators. You have no right -- "
"Agent Scully, you understand war, don't you?
Your father was a warrior, was he not? This is a
war for your planet. Yes, innocent people died.
But it would have been far more costly in human
lives if they had lived. They would have been used
by the collaborators."
"Why was I spared?" she asked, licking her lips.
He cocked his head and smiled. "Because we need
you. Both of you," he said, looking over at Mulder.
"And William. You are essential to defeating the
enemies of your planet."
"We aren't pawns," Mulder growled.
"Absolutely not! You are the leaders of the
resistance. You have been for years. You just
didn't know that," the alien said, morphing back into
Alex Krycek effortlessly. "I do apologize for the
subterfuge. It was necessary to the larger plan."
"What about Spender and the complex in Utah?"
Mulder asked, still dubious.
"Also part of the larger plan. The work there is
vital to the continued success of the operation."
"What operation?" Scully demanded.
"Why, protecting your planet from the invaders,"
Alex said with a smile. Just then, the oven timer
went off. "I should get that. And it gets pretty
chilly up here at night. You should probably let
Maggie bring the baby back inside."
"We aren't finished with this discussion . . .
Krycek," Mulder said angrily.
"No, I realize that. But it would be best not to talk
about it in front of Maggie," Alex said, getting up to
go to the kitchen.
Scully looked over at her partner and frowned. He
forced a smile and nodded toward the door. "I'll go
get them," he said quietly. "You keep an eye -- "
She nodded emphatically and matched his smile
with one of her own.
Outside he found Maggie sitting on the swing that
was on the far end of the porch. "Hey, how're we
doing out here?" he asked casually, carefully sitting
down next to her so he didn't disturb the swinging
motion she had in place.
"He fell asleep just a minute ago. He was fussy
when we came out. I think he missed you," she said
with a raised eyebrow.
"Technically, he's too little to miss more than a
meal every four hours," Mulder replied, lifting the
baby off Maggie's shoulder and placing him on his
own. "But then, who knows for sure."
"Fox, I know you won't tell me everything, but -- "
"It was a case of mistaken identity," Mulder rushed
and then leaned back putting the swing back in
motion. "We, uh, we thought he was someone we
used to know."
"The man who killed Melissa? How can you make
that accusation and then expect me to just ignore
it?" Maggie asked, her tone hurt and angry.
"Mrs. Scully, I'm sorry. Believe me, when we first
saw him . . . the resemblance is uncanny," Mulder
said defensively. "But we talked, he explained
himself, it's all good now."
"So I'm supposed to just forget it happened?" she
asked, crossing her arms.
"I'd consider it a personal favor," Mulder said with a
crooked grin. "Of course, I'm probably about out of
chits," he added, letting his eyes rest on his son's
tiny back as the baby breathed in and out in deep
sleep.
Maggie sighed and then touched Mulder's arm. "I
don't like it, but I don't think I have a choice. Fox,
why didn't you call me when Dana left?"
Mulder looked out on the forest just yards from the
swing. "I couldn't put you in that kind of danger,"
he said quietly. "If they found out that we were in
contact . . . "
"I must say, I was shocked when Tara called. I
never would have thought you'd turn to her . . . or
Bill."
"I didn't have much choice in the matter. I needed
someone fast. At the time I had no idea that Bill -- "
He stopped suddenly, afraid of how much she
might know about her son's part in her daughter's
imprisonment.
"He regrets what happened, Fox. He was absolutely
beside himself when he figured it out. Of course,
that was after the damage was done. I just hope that
someday Dana -- "
"All he has to do is talk to her. I think Dana can
understand how easy it is to be fooled by a good
line from a smooth talker," Mulder replied.
Maggie gave him a full smile. "Yes, I know she
can," she offered and Mulder ducked his head at the
direct shot. "That pizza should be about ready. I
was so nervous waiting for you two to show up, I
didn't really eat much at dinner."
"Well, we didn't bother to eat at all, so what are we
waiting for?"
Scully was cutting the pizza while Krycek got
glasses and ice and served the drinks. When Scully
saw William, all thoughts of pizza flew out the
window. She reached for her son and took him into
the living room where she sat down and cradled him
in her arms.
"He's grown so much in a week," she said, not
bothering to hide her tears.
Mulder got them both plates and went over to sit
next to her on the sofa. "He won't remember any of
this, Scully. It will be a fairy tale we can tell him
when he's older."
She looked up at her partner and shook her head.
"No. I hope we never have to tell him about any of
this."
"But what if it has a happy ending?" Mulder
whispered, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead.
"Promise me it will," she replied, kissing him back.
After dinner Maggie volunteered to clean up the
kitchen and Krycek showed Mulder and Scully to
the bedroom he had been using. He even brought in
the bassinet from Maggie's room so that William
would be close by.
"Where will you be?" Scully asked as Krycek while
Mulder headed for a quick shower.
"That sofa is pretty comfortable," he replied. "And
I don't think I'll be sleeping much tonight. Just in
case."
"You really aren't him," Scully asked, still unsure.
"The man who killed your sister, who killed
Mulder's father is dead. But finding his body
actually turned the tide on something that would
have been inevitable. If you're not comfortable with
this image, I could change -- but I suspect we'd have
to do a lot of explaining to your mother about things
you really don't want her to know."
Scully shook her head. "No, that's not a good idea.
You're right, there is a lot of this I would just as
soon she doesn't know. I'll just have to get used to
it, I guess."
"Just try to get some sleep. I'll keep watch."
Rogue Valley International Airport
Medford, OR
11:25 pm
Monica Reyes pulled her cell phone out of her
pocket as soon as she walked off the jetway.
"Where is he?" she asked the moment the line was
picked up.
"He left Portland about two hours ago," came the
quick reply. "He rented an SUV. We're tracking
gas purchases, but he had a full tank, so it's possible
he won't need to get gas before he arrives at the
destination."
She closed her eyes. "Frohike, are you sure you
have him?"
"Agent Reyes, I promise. This is the right guy. I
know we messed up at first, but now we have him."
She sighed deeply and started walking over to the
rental car booth. "I hope you're right."
"Did you get the directions we sent to your cell
phone?"
"Yeah," she said as she walked up to the Lariat
counter. "I just wish there were some way to warn
them."
"I've sent emails to our contact, but so far he hasn't
picked them up. If you leave now, you should beat
Agent Doggett by about an hour, hour and a half.
You're much closer in Medford than he was when
he landed in Portland."
"Well, I better get going. I'll call when I can."
"Be careful, Agent Reyes. We're counting on you."
Monica smiled faintly as she pocketed the phone.
To have the trust of some of the most paranoid
people on the face of the earth was a high honor and
one she surely never expected. It was time to put
that faith into action. She had a family to protect.
Oregon Cave Junction, OR
2 am
Scully was out of the bed before William finished
his first whimper. Mulder rolled over and watched
her in the moonlight, cradling their son her to chest,
even though all chances of breastfeeding him were
nil.
"Want me to get the bottle ready?" he asked in a
whisper.
She started slightly at his voice, but relaxed
immediately. "If you don't mind. Do you know -- "
She caught herself. It was easy to forget that
Mulder would have had to learn how to feed their
child when she had run off, effectively ditching
them both. "Sorry. Of course you know how to fix
a bottle."
He snagged his boxers off the ground by the side of
the bed and pulled them on. He made a point of
going over and squeezing her shoulder. "The only
one who needs to forgive you is you, Scully. Wills
and I have already forgiven you."
"Wills," she murmured with a faint smile that he
could just detect in the silvery moonlight.
"Yeah. We talk, us guys. He's OK with Wills but
he drew the line on Billy," Mulder deadpanned. At
that moment the young man in question screwed up
his face and let out a lusty cry for food. "See what I
mean?" Mulder added quickly over the squeals.
"Go get your son his bottle," she commanded, but
her eyes twinkled merrily. It was good to tease. It
was good to laugh. God in heaven, she thought, it
was good to feel normal if just for a little while.
She hugged her son tenderly and tried to sooth his
cries.
As he passed into the kitchen, he could see Krycek
sitting by the window to the cabin. Moonlight
shimmered off the end of a Glock rest in his lap. "2
am feeding?" the alien asked quietly.
"Yeah. I'm just gonna -- " Both men stilled at the
sound of tires on gravel. Mulder closed the
refrigerator door and quickly turned off the kitchen
light, plunging the rooms in darkness again.
"Great thought, too late," Krycek noted wryly.
"They would have seen it already."
"You got a better idea, Dipstick?" Mulder muttered.
"Ah, you still remember your pet name for me,"
Krycek replied with a steely grin.
"I didn't realize your type had a sense of humor,"
Mulder whispered. He moved over to the closet and
got his own spare weapon, then moved flat against
the door.
"Survival instincts. Especially on this planet,"
Krycek explained as he stealthily moved the
window curtain aside to get a better look at the
driveway. "It's a woman. Wait -- Get ready, she's
headed straight for the door!"
Mulder nodded his understanding. Krycek
positioned himself to fire at the door and anyone
trying to enter. Both men jumped a foot when there
was a loud knock and a muffled "Dana? Agent
Mulder? Are you in there?"
"So much for her surprise attack," Krycek said with
a shrug as he lowered his weapon. "Shouldn't you
let her in?"
"She's an old friend of Doggett's. It could be a
trap," Mulder replied, biting his bottom lip.
"Dana, I'm alone. Please, I have some very
important information," came the voice beyond the
door.
"It's your call," Krycek said.
Mulder nodded and then waved Krycek to stand in
the hall to the bedrooms, out of sight. He kept his
own weapon in his hand but lowered it to rest
against his leg. He sorely wished he'd put on more
than just his boxers. Before he could reach for the
lock, Scully entered the room, carrying a crying
William.
"Did I just hear someone at the door? It sounded
like Monica," she said, brushing past Mulder to
unlock and open the door. Krycek gave Mulder a
sympathetic look and stayed tucked in the doorway.
"Monica?" Scully asked as the woman rushed in a
hugged her for dear life.
"Oh, thank God I made in time and you're both all
right. Well, all of you, I mean."
William was having none of the 'happy reunion'.
He wanted his bottle and made that fact known.
"I'll get his bottle," Krycek offered. "You can find
out the important information."
"I'll go get dressed," Mulder agreed.
Scully nodded over to the sofa and Monica sat
down beside her. Monica couldn't take her eyes off
the baby and Scully smiled in encouragement. The
agent looked unsure and then slowly reached over
and caressed the baby's head. "Oh, my, Dana. He's
gotten so big."
"He has, hasn't it? Hard to believe it's just been two
months," Scully murmured. William was interested
by the new face, but it was obvious he wasn't going
to have his dinner held off for much longer. He
squirmed and screwed up his face just as Krycek
came to the rescue.
"Hey, big guy, look what I have," he crooned as he
handed the bottle to Scully. William's eyes lit up,
his little mouth opened and when the nipple was
finally in his mouth, he quickly got down to
business.
"So, Agent Reyes, you have something you needed
to tell us? But I have a question -- how the hell did
you find us?" Mulder asked brusquely, standing by
the door.
"The Gunmen. I've been . . . well, working with
them, I guess you could say. They put me onto
some clues and I followed them. They asked me to
come here to tell you what I found."
"OK, I'm buying that, for now." Mulder held her in
his gaze, not budging an inch.
"John Doggett is on his way here," Monica said in a
rush. "And I think he has intentions of harming
you, Agent Mulder." She looked over at the woman
next to her. "And he has definite intentions where
you're concerned, Dana. But I think most of all, he
wants William." She concluded by touching the
baby's tiny fist as it rested against the side of the
bottle.
Scully's mouth moved but no words came out. She
looked frantically to Mulder. "When?" she asked
breathlessly.
"He landed in Portland about 2 and a half hours ago.
It takes 4 hours to get here. I would expect him in
about an hour."
Scully's face showed her panic. "Mulder," she said,
swallowing and then licking her lips. "What do we
do?"
"Make a stand," Krycek said from the doorway to
the kitchen.
"Krycek, stay out of this. You're not in danger, we
are."
"You're right, you're absolutely right," Krycek
agreed. "And unless you eliminate this threat, you
will remain in danger." He walked into the center
of the room, addressing all of them. "Is that how
you intend to raise this baby? On the run, always
looking over your shoulder? That's not a life. He
should never have been born rather than live like
that."
"Shut the fuck up," Mulder growled. "You know
nothing."
"I know everything," Krycek countered. "You
eliminate Doggett, your worries are over."
"He's getting his orders from someone. If not him,
they'll send someone else," Scully shot back.
"Not necessarily," he said with a cryptic grin.
Mulder was across the room in a second and
slammed Krycek up against the far wall. "What do
you know?"
"About what?"
"How did Doggett find us, for one. You're the only
one besides the Gunmen who knows our location,"
Mulder said, his eyes narrowing.
"Mulder, it only makes sense -- "
"There is a baby in this cabin, you son of a bitch!
My son!" Mulder yelled.
"Oh dear," Maggie said entering in a robe and bare
feet. "Fox, Alex, please!"
"Mom, we're in danger here. We have to leave,"
Scully said quickly, standing up and heading toward
the bedrooms.
"Danger? Oh, hello?" Maggie said, noticing
Monica for the first time. "Agent Reyes? When did
you get here?"
"Hello, Mrs. Scully. I got here just a few moments
ago." She stood nervously. "I'm afraid I bring bad
news. Dana's right, there is a danger in staying
here."
"Fox?"
Mulder gave Krycek another shove, bouncing his
head against the wall and then released him. "Mrs.
Scully, put on some clothes, there isn't much time."
"You're making a mistake," Krycek said, shaking
his head. "This is the only way to end it."
"Then you stay here. You fight him. I'm through.
I'm taking my family and getting the hell out of
here, now." Mulder spun on his heel and stalked
from the room.
Krycek looked over at Monica. "What about you?"
he asked.
She drew in a deep breath. "What do you have in
mind?"
Krycek chuckled, but it had an edge to it. "Ever
seen the last scene of 'Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid'?"
"Going out in a blaze of glory?" she asked, raising
one eyebrow.
"Something like that. But we take the bastard to
hell with us," he said with a truly evil grin.
Monica swallowed, her throat was suddenly very
dry. "Yeah, I think I can get behind that plan," she
said with a confidence she didn't really feel.
"Good. I'll tell the others."
2:20 am
John parked the SUV between two tall pines where
the road met the gravel path. He closed the door
silently, even though he was certain he was far
enough away that the sound wouldn't reach the
occupants of the cabin. With his night vision
goggles in place around his forehead, he made his
way down the makeshift driveway.
What the hell? The lights were on and he could
hear the shouting from 100 yards away! Damn, this
wasn't good. He had hoped to catch them while
they were sleeping, make good on the plan he had
in North Carolina. He breathed in deeply. This was
not an obstacle, it was a challenge. He smiled. He
always did love a challenge.
"Soon, Dana. Soon we'll be a family," he promised
under his breath. Checking his weapons and the
multiple clips of ammunition, he crept toward the
cabin.
to be continued